


If you pick the right song

by rainbowblue13



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Autistic Peggy, Band Fic, F/M, Gen, Musicians, band au, everyone is done with alex at all times, john is gay for alex but no lams, listen this is so Old but i just want it posted for prosperity i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 15:57:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17665625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowblue13/pseuds/rainbowblue13
Summary: Alexander convinces the label (a.k.a. Washington) into letting their band, The Revolutionary Set, participate in a local band jam. Unsurprisingly, things go wrong. They're used to it(Hamilton Band AU)





	If you pick the right song

**Author's Note:**

> \- i literally wrote this years ago and i only proofread grammar so welp  
> \- this was super self indulgent at the time and slightly OOC but ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> \- for anyone wondering when im posting the final part of "how did we get here?" it's being written atm! i just wanted this uploaded on my profile  
> \- peggy is autistic and i love her but if her representation/writing is innaccurate or disrespectful please let me know! im neurotypical so all i wrote was based on research not experience  
> \- everyone is Dramatic

It had been a calm day. George got the chance to go pick up groceries, he had answered some e-mails, and made himself a nice cup of tea. Overall, everything was peaceful and quiet.

The door to his office slammed on its hinges as Alexander practically kicked it open. "WASHINGTON, HOLY FUCK."

Correction: everything _had_ been peaceful and quiet.

The messy-haired whirlwind known as Alexander Hamilton stormed into his office, holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. He had wide eyes and a large grin spread across his face, looking almost as excited as when George had accepted him into the label. "Washington!"

"I heard you the first time, Hamilton." he sighed, already mourning the loss of a tranquil morning.

"There's a BAND JAM!" Alexander nothing short of threw the paper he was holding at Washington, pacing as the older man uncrumpled it. "It's in just a couple of weeks, but I KNOW we can win this! We work better under pressure!"

"No you don't." George piped in, not taking his eyes off of the flyer.

Hamilton didn't falter. "Still! We can do it. You know we can do it."

After reading all of the information in front of him, he set the paper down on his desk and ran a hand through his head. "As your band manager, I have to make sure you are aware that losing this competition--"

"Band jam, sir."

"-- would look quite bad for the label."

Alexander made a mock soldier salute. "You have my word sir! We'll win!"

Giving him a small smile, Washington leaned back in his chair. "Even if I said no you'd still participate, wouldn't you?"

Alexander smirked.

"Alright, son, you're all allowed to compete."

"Yes!" he pumped his fist into the air, too excited to take note of what his boss had called him. Alexander smiled widely and reached for the band jam flyer on Washington's desk.

"However..." the band manager put a hand over the piece of paper Hamiton was reaching for. "There's one condition."

* * *

 

_Plunnnk._

"Jesus christ Laf, tune your guitar louder why don't you?" John snapped, removing one earbud as he turned to face his friend.

Grinning maniacally, the frenchman turned up the volume on the speakers and played the same untuned string.

_PLUNNNNK!_

John covered his ears and groaned as the guitarrist laughed and turned the volume back down. "You're, how do you say, quite pissy today."

"Stop saying 'How do you say?' before saying a word you clearly know how to say."

"But I am, how do you say, french." Lafayette teased.

John rolled his eyes. "Laf, you're not fooling anyone. You're the main rapper in our band."

"You are, how do you say, correct."

Hercules strolled back into the room holding a pair of drumsticks, whistling.

"Mulligan, control him." John begged.

"I can't even control myself, Laurens." he joked, slumping into a nearby chair.

"He has a, how do you say, point--"

"Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, _enough_."

Lafayette raised his eyebrows, looked at Hercules and shared a knowing look with him. "Alright, alright, I'll stop."

John took a breath to calm himself. "Thank you."

"Damn Laurens, you went, _how do you say_ , full name on him." Hercules noted, trying not to snort.

The short, freckled man pointed the pen he was holding and pointed it accusingly at him. "YOU ARE A NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER."

The door opened again, revealing a panting Alexander. He looked at his friends and shook his head. "I leave you guys alone for five minutes."

Lafayette snorted as he went back to tuning his guitar. "You're one to talk, Alexander."

"Wait, what did Washington say?" John asked, walking up to his friend, "Are we in?"

"Well... yeah." 

The three hooted and cheered before noticing Alexander's sour expression.

"What's wrong?" Laf asked, tilting his head slightly

Alex groaned, "Washington said that Demo-reps has to participate too."

"Ugh." John agreed. Hercules fake gagged.

"But why?" Lafayette asked. Alexander slumped in front of the cluttered desk they kept.

"If someone from the label loses it would look bad, there's twice the chance of winning, blah blah blah." Alexander mumbled.

"Oh relax, Hamilton. Are you actually afraid you're going to lose to them?" Laf leaned over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

This made the Caribbean sit up straight, looking offended at the notion. "No! It's just annoying that George doesn't trust us enough to win on our own. Plus, I'm gonna have to deal with Jefferson's face. Ew."

"But doesn't this give you a chance to beat him?" Laf insisted.

"Aren't we going against all of Demo-reps though?" Hercules interjected.

"Yeah, but Hammie mainly has it against Jefferson." Laf explained.

"Not true! Madison sucks too. He's even worse than... worse than the national debt!"

"Woah, that's a good roast, you should write it down." John voiced his admiration as Laf continued to tune his guitar and Hercules tapped away on his phone.

"Oh bite me," Alexander snapped, though he still took a stay sharpie and jotted it down on a loose piece of paper.

John wrapped an arm around the other's shoulders. "Oh come on Alex. We just have to win and it'll all be worth it, right?"

"Besides, he'll never admit it but Hamilton loves his rivalry with Thomas."

"Not true!" he exclaimed, turning around so quickly that John ungraciously toppled on the floor.

"Nice." commented Herc.

Alexander whipped his head towards the floor where his friend had fallen. "Why are you on the floor?"

"Because you knocked me over, dumbass."

"Cause he wants to suck your dick!"

"Shut up, Hercules." John rolled his eyes, his face flushed red.

"Olympic landing aside, you fool no one Alexander. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd actually miss him if he retired."

"How could anyone miss that stubborn, arrogant prick with mediocre rapping ability?" Alex scoffed.

"Well, I'd be quite upset if you were gone."

This was a new voice, and they all turned around to see Eliza Schuyler leaning on the door frame.

"I cannot believe this. I'm being slandered by my Betsey—"

"What else is new?" Laf piped in, earning a loud snort from both Hercules and Laurens.

"— and my rapping is _not_ mediocre!" he cried out.

"I know sweetie. Coffee?" she held up a carton tray with four cups.

Alexander gasped. "You always know how to make me feel better. My true love." Alex made grabby hands in her direction.

"Who, me or the coffee?" She walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss. "Actually, don't answer that."

"Look, Eliza brought one cup of coffee for each of us!" John claimed before breaking into a fit of laughter.

"Let me guess: all of them are for our Alexander?" Laf teased.

"Actually, no." Eliza picked up one of the cups. "This one's mine."

They all laughed again as Alex sipped his coffee, looking as if he were in heaven.

"Thanks for coming over, Liz." Hercules pointed at his now coffee-driven friend. "Hammie here was having a temper tantrum."

Still hunched over his desk as he wrote something else down, he replied by blowing a rasberry at Hercules.

"So mature." Laf snickered.

"How's this for mature, Lafayette?" Alex flipped him off without looking up from his paper.

"Sooo what did Jefferson and Madison do now?" Eliza leaned on John's shoulder and raised her eyebrows, like she always did when she wanted to hear gossip.

Alex handed her the band jam flyer as John explained the compromise they'd made with Washington. She read over it and listened attentively, as she always did. When he'd finished explaining, she nodded understandingly but shrugged. "Just let it go, Alexander. There's nothing you can do except practice and hope for the best."

"Practice and win you mean. Cause we're awesome." He grinned as if he could see into the future and knew they'd be given first place.

Eliza glanced at the flyer again.

"A band jam, huh? Angelica and Peggy might be up for it. It'd be fun!"

Alexander began to tie his hair up into a messy ponytail. "Come on Betsey, you guys don't even play instruments. You're just vocalists! Besides, I don't wanna compete against my girlfriend." He chuckled and turned back to the desk, planning on continuing the new song he'd just come up with, before noticing the unsettling silence that had fallen over the room. He never liked the quiet before.

When he turned to face Eliza again, he felt a shot of panic shoot through him as he saw her face. "Betsey?" he asked tentatively. She glared at him, her lips pursed, before shaking her head and storming out of the room. "Betsey!" he called out after her, stopping her at the doorway. His heart dropped when he noticed her eyes were glassy.

"Just a vocalist? Do you think that little of me?"

Alexander's eyes widened and he shook his head vehemently. That wasn't what he meant! But before he could defend himself she spoke up again.

"No, save it! You don't get to tell me what I can or can't do. You don't get to tell me what I'm worth!"

She shook her head as one tear streaked down her cheek and stormed past a dumbfounded Alexander.

There were a few beats of silence. A part of him wanted to believe that she was overreacting but at the same time...

He turned to face his friends.

Laf sighed. "Oh, mon-ami, why do you have to act like you're the smartest in the room?"

"Yeah you kinda fucked up." Hercules stated.

"Big time." John added.

Well that settled that.

* * *

 

Kingdom United

Administration!

The Revolutionary Set

Demo-reps

The Schuyler Sisters

 

That was the list of entries for the band jam. No one was surprised.}

Alexander had tried going to the Schuyler's home on several occasions since he fought with Eliza, but it was no use. When he went the first time, Philip Schuyler, his father in law, greeted him with a stone-cold face. The older man simply glared at Alexander until he left.

The next time was worse. When he knocked, Angelica answered the door and promptly slammed it in his face. He knocked again only to be chewed out for a solid half hour on the porch step. 

"You unsensible, unsatisfiable, wretched— ugh! I'm running out of words to describe your stupidity. You have invented a new kind of stupid, Alexander. And another thing!—"

The third time, Peggy meekly peeked her head through the small opening of the door. Alexander almost burst into tears of relief.

He apologized for what he had done immediately, and after calling him only a handful of obscenities, Peggy relented and wrapped him in a bear hug. She promised to tell Eliza he wanted to apologize, but also made it clear that they were still participating.

"Eliza's not stupid. If you'd bothered to ask, you'd know that Angie plays cello, or that I play violin, or that Eliza plays piano."

Eliza plays piano. He felt his stomach churn in guilt.

Back at the studio, John, Hercules and Laf also had to update Aaron, their bassist, on what had happened the day he skipped. Apparently Burr had a last minute date with his girlfriend, Theodosia, before she went on a trip. Once he'd been briefed, he came up to Alexander.

“You need to talk less, Hamilton."

Burr was his friend, but Alex felt the urge to clock him in the face more often than he'd like to admit.

Besides, he had to worry about Thomas and James as well. With the whole Eliza thing, he'd been too distracted during rehearsal, and though he didn't admit it, he was actually beginning to fear that his friends would lose because of him. Because he was an idiot that didn't deserve Eliza. And if they lost not only would his friends had to pay the price for his actions, but he'd dissapoint Washington. Even worse, if Thomas won, he'd prove Washington right. Neither of those were an option.

Before he knew it, it was the day of the band jam. Alexander quickly reviewed the lyrics of their song, an original they'd only really finished three days prior, sitting at the cluttered distaster he called a "desk" in the studio. It was way too early, and he knew it would be at least an hour until his friends arrived, though he didn't mind. It had been a small window for practice, but Alex knew his friends were prepared. As for himself, well...

If worst came to worst, he'd freestyle. Burr wouldn't like it, but it's not like he'd do anything to stop Alexander anyway. Feeling decided but with his eyelids drooping, he sleepily reached for his half-empty coffee mug. After taking only one sip, Alexander remembered Eliza bringing him three cups of coffee the day he—

Nope, he couldn't go there now. He had to be ready so that they could win. He looked at the lyrics of the song again, searching and scanning every line. The more he read it, the more he felt there could be more to it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best either. He wondered if that was how Eliza saw him.

He groaned and put his head in his hands. It was useless: there was no way he'd be able to take his mind off of her. He was an absolute mess. Hopeless. Helpless.

He lazily scribbled down those three words next to the lyrics sheet. Alexander glanced at his computer. Helpless. That had a nice ring to it.

Slowly but surely, he felt a soaring feeling in his chest, one he was very familiar with. It was what allowed him create dozens upon dozens of lyrics and poems and writings. Inspiration.

Alexander began to write.

* * *

 

John wasn't entirely sure why Alexander could never arrive to anything on time. He also wasn't sure why none of them had learned their lesson and were still annoyed whenever he was late.

"I mean, it is Alexander. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise." Aaron voiced his thoughts, readjusting the strap of his instrument case. They were standing outside the cafe where the band jam would take place. It wasn't incredibly crowded, but it was loud, and they couldn't spot Alex anywhere.

"I don't care, I'm gonna kill him." Hercules gruffed, craning his neck over the crowd as he tried to spot his friend.

Lafayette swore in French and shook his head. "Hamilton is going to be the death of me. I mean, how long ago did you text him to meet us here?"

"Uuuh, do you mean how long ago you texted him to meet us here?" Hercules drawled, his eyebrows creased.

John slapped his hand onto his face. Of course.

"Hercules, you were the one that was supposed to text him!" Laf exclaimed, dramatically putting a hand to his forehead. "Oh, what are we to do now?"

"It was totally you that was supposed to—" Hercules began.

"Both of you are incompetent." Burr monotoned, rapidly tapping away on his phone, probably to alert Alexander.

"Shut up, Burr." retorted Herc.

"You are the worst, Burr." Laf stated.

"As much as I love all of us ganging up against Aaron, this is a problem." John interrupted, taking a deep sigh. "It's like a 20 minute subway ride here from the studio, and this thing starts in like 10 minutes. What's our backup plan?"

They all turned to look at Aaron.

His eyes shot up, hands still holding his cellphone. He shrugged, only looking slightly apologetic.

"Aw, come on!" Hercules whined, followed by groans from both Laf and John. "If there's no plan Burr, then we're screwed."

Aaron sighed. "I insist, it's called a plan B, not a plan Burr. Just because I'm the only one of you that actually waits and thinks before doing things doesn't—"

"Mon ami, I'd recommend you call Alex rather than sending him your boring texts. He can ignore his phone for an impressive amount of time." Burr sighed but dialed anyway, per Laf's suggestion. They all leaned in slowly as Aaron held the cellphone to his ear. He was about to make a comment so that they'd give him breathing room, but they all flinched at the sudden song blaring behind them.

Hey, I just me you, and this is crazy, but here--

They all slowly turned around as a person behind them answered their phone. 

"Burr, sir! Where are you guys?? I'm outside the cafe but everyone is so fucking tall, I can't see shit." Alexander was breathless, holding a stack of papers in his right hand. He had a messy ponytail hanging limply from the back of his head.

No one said anything.

"Uuuh, Burr?" he sounded slightly more concerned, standing up straighter. Then he froze. "Ah crap."

That was all it took for Lafayette, Hercules and John to start laughing uncontrollably, wheezing for breath. Aaron looked torn between joining them and being genuinely confused. Alexander turned around to face them slowly, his face not giving away anything. Then he took a deep breath.

"I— look, it's... it's actually a pretty good song—"

His comment just set them all off again, forcing even Burr to laugh.

"I'm not— I'm not even sure I want to acknowledge that this happened." Laf confessed, still giggling.

"Oh, I do. I'm gonna acknowledge it till the day he dies— probably from coffee overdose— and in my eulogy, I will tell everyone that our dear friend Alexander Hamilton had 'Call Me, Maybe' as his ringtone." John made exaggerated gestures as he teased him, wrapping an arm around Alex's shoulders. He blushed and seemed to be fuming as John laughed again.

"Later, later, we have our entire lives to do that, but first— how the hell did you know how to get here? Laf forgot to tell you to meet us here instead of the studio." Hercules patted Alexander's head, which Alex took as an opportunity to slink out of John's grasp and cross his arms triumphantly. Laf glared at Hercules but rolled his eyes and decided to drop it.

Alexander's eyes lit up as he began to fill them in almost faster than his friends could catch up. "Well, I got there early cause it wasn't like I was gonna sit around and do nothing, and I figured I needed the extra practice, right? I was re-reading the lyrics and it felt like they were missing something, you know? So of course I made another one and then I got really excited, cause I was all filled up with inspiration! I mean, I was also filled with coffee, but that's irrelevant. I left a note at the studio telling you guys to meet up with me here, but it looks like you guys had the same idea! There's a theory on that called the "collective subconscious", which is actually quite interesting, the dissertation I read was—"

John had to physically clamp his hand over Alexander's mouth.

There was a beat of silence as they all tried to catch up to what Hamilton had said, but it was honestly too many damn words for anyone to understand. John sighed as his captive began to squirm.

"Alex, I'm not removing my hand even if you lick it." The forementioned man responded in a defeated grump.

"No no wait, let him speak." Burr called out. Three heads turned to look at him as if he'd grown a second one himself.

"I think Burr's offically nuts. We lost him." Hercules chimed in.

"He will be sorely missed. Probably." Laf added.

Burr chose to ignore their taunts and simply removed John's hand from Hamilton's mouth. "What did you say about the song?" he inquired, prepared to cut him off if he began to ramble again.

"Oh yeah, it felt kinda dull, so I just made another one. I'm hitting two birds with one stone with this." Alexander grinned and tapped the sheets of paper he was holding, revealing themselves to be, well, sheet music.

"Made another one?" Burr repeated incredulously.

"Yup." Alex replied, popping the 'p'.

"Today?"

He frowned at Burr. "When else?" He asked as if it were obvious.

"You're telling me you wrote an entire song this morning while sleep deprived and running on what was probably your seventh cup of coffee, and you expect us to play that song—that we haven't even heard— today at the competition where we'll be facing one of the people you dislike most on this planet instead of playing the one song we actually rehearsed for?"

They all stared at Alexander.

"Technically, the correct term is 'band jam'."

There was a beat of silence as they stared at each other before Burr suddenly turned around and began to walk away.

"Burr, where are you going?"

"Nope."

"What?!"

"Nope. I refuse. Nope nope _nope_ , I am _officially_ done with all of you."

Alexander began to jog alongside him, struggling to keep up in the crowd "Burr, hear me out!"

"No way."

"Burr, you—" he was cut off as there was an uproar in the crowd and people started to head inside. Groaning, Alex fought the current the best he could, catching an elbow to the face a couple of times. Once he made it out, he spotted Burr still walking away. Without thinking, Alexander ran towards him at full speed and clambered onto Burr before could turn around.

"What the—!"

"Listen to me, you stubborn, opinionless egg!" Alex barked, clutching onto Aaron for dear life as his friend tried to fling him off. "You are going to play that song if it is the last thing I make you do, we are all going to be awesome, and we'll win so we can rub it in Jeffershit's face, and you'll have to admit that I'm right and— oof!"

Aaron panted as he gently laid down his instrument case next to where Alexander fell. He stood up straighter as his friend rubbed his butt mournfully.

"Alexander, there is no possibility of winning this thing with a song that we haven't rehearsed even once. Just listen to yourself!"

He sighed in frustration, glaring up at Burr as he breathed heavily. "You haven't even read it yet!" Alexander reached for the the papers and... "Oh no."

"He hasn't read them, but we have." John chimed in, holding the papers in his freckled hands as Hercules and Laf followed them. Alex sighed in relief.

"And insane as you are..." Lafayette trailed off, smirking mischievously.

"No..." Burr breathed out, eyeing them suspiciously.

"I have no idea how you made this in under an hour but it's damn good." Hercules concluded. "We're in."

"You haven't even played the song, this is a terrible idea! Why on earth would you agree to this?" Aaron exclaimed, throwing his arms out. Wordlessly, Laf handed him one of the papers and let him read it. Burr skimmed the page silently for a minute before looking up at the four of them, expressionless.

"So?" Alexander prompted, leaning forward in the slightest.

"I hate you and we are going to regret this." 

They let out a cheer and pulled in Aaron for what he could only assume was meant to be a "group hug", though it felt more like "human suffocation". Alexander split off from the group when they were done and flashed a wicked grin. 

"Let's do this."

* * *

 

"We can't do this." 

Eliza sighed in exasperation, throwing her head back into the air. "For the last time Peggy, it's gonna be fine."

"Yeah Pegs, we're gonna kick ass, stop worrying." Angelica sounded nonchalant, but Eliza knew that she was actually excited. Her older sister looked around the room, her eyes darting back and forth.

Peggy sighed as well but seemed to drop it for now. She chose to abruptly change the subject instead. "I saw Alex outside."

"I figured." Eliza stated simply, her heart beating nervously at the mention of him.

"I think he was fighting Burr."

Angelica raised an eyebrow. "Really? Burr doesn't seem like the fighting type."

"Alex just kinda piggybacked on him and called him an egg, and Burr was just trying to shake him off."

"What happened next?"

"I don't know, I just went back inside."

Eliza frowned. "You saw Alex in a fight and just left?"

Peggy shrugged. "Alex gets in a fight like every five minutes. And besides, it's Burr. What's the worse he could do?"

"Fair enough." Eliza conceded.

"If they don't get in here soon they're gonna be disqualified." Angelica noted, leaning against the wall of the backstage. "Which would be a shame, cause I'm looking forward to kicking Hamilton's ass."

"Same here."

The three sisters turned to look at the new voice in confusion, suddenly facing a fairly tall man with a fabulous mane of hair and a brightly colored jacket.

"And you are?" Angelica acknowledged the stranger curtly, only sparing a quick look at him.

"Thomas Jefferson. But please, just call me Thomas." he smiled slyly, eyeing the three of them. "Enchanté."

Eliza felt herself coiling up at the name, recognizing it immediatley. So this is the man that Alexander despised. He's not as tall as her boyfriend had described him. And he looked eerily familiar, though she couldn't quite place him.

She took notice of Peggy glaring up at Jefferson, no doubt recognizing the name as well. If looks could kill, he'd be lying face down on the floor. Angelica may have recognized him, but she showed no signs of it, simply aknowledging him with a quick nod.

"... And you three ladies are?" he prompted, not dropping the smile. She saw Peggy firing herself up to say something along the lines of "None of your business", so Eliza put an arm around her shoulders, quietly asking "Behave".

"Angelica Schuyler."

"Eliza." she gave him a quick nod. Her younger sister said nothing, fuming silently. "... and Peggy." Eliza finished for her, flashing a nervous smile at him.

Jefferson raised his eyebrows, looking pleasantly surprised.

"Schuyler? Interesting. What do you three happen to have against Hamilton?" then he laughed heartily. "Dumb question, I know. What's not to dislike?"

Eliza felt anger slowly bubbling up inside of her, even though she chided herself. You're supposed to be mad at Alexander. God, you're helpless.

Instead of saying anything she found herself turning to look at Peggy, who was now smiling sweetly. Too sweetly.

"God, I know right? He can never shut up." Peggy chirped, looking amused. Eliza widened her eyes in shock and turned to face Angelica. What is she doing? Eliza mouthed at her. Angelica shrugged in response, just as lost as her. Peggy absolutely adored Alexander.

Jefferson didn't notice their exchange and simply laughed in agreement. "Tell me about it! Thinks he can do whatever he wants just cause he's a scrappy immigrant. The guy can barely speak English."

Peggy's smile tightened at the word immigrant, but didn't waver.

"Yeah, it's almost as if Alex actually works hard and makes good music while you just coast on Madison's talents cause you couldn't compose a single music note aside from mi because you're so self absorbed." she shrugged and her grin widened. "But then again, what do I know? Scrappy immigrants, am I right?"

He stood there, mouth agape, his face slowly but surely reddening. He attempted to stutter through his shock. "Y- you- I—"

"Lo siento, I can't understand you. You know how us immigrants can barely speak English, though it seems you're just as inhibited. ¡Adiós!" she waved and practically skipped away, her violin case swinging merrily with her. 

There were a couple of seconds where no one did or said anything, broken only when Angelica muttered a quick "Excuse me." and went after their sister to either scold her or congratulate her. Eliza was about to follow suit but paused, instead turning to face Thomas again. She felt oddly empowered by Peggy's roast.

"Oh and, by the way, Alexander may be a bastard immigrant, but that boy is mine." she boasted proudly. "And good luck. Lord knows you're gonna need it."

* * *

 

"You would not believe the nerve they had—!"

James sighed. "I'd probably believe it, seeing that you've been ranting about this nonstop for minutes."

Thomas was still furious, of course, but seemed to take the hint and opted to instead angrily tune his ukulele. Madison didn't bother telling him that he had already tuned it, not looking forward to another tirade of his hurt ego.

He loved Thomas, but also had to admit his friend was a _bit_ high manteinance.

Suddenly, someone he didn't know began to shush everyone. "It's starting!" they whisper-shouted.

This seemed to magically cure Thomas of his bad mood as he grinned widely. On stage, a filipino man with an undercut tapped his microphone and grinned. "What is up, everyone! Johnathan Bellamy, your host here, is proud to present Colonies Cafe's very first band jam! How's everyone feeling tonight?" He held his mic out to the audience, earning several cheers and hoots of exitement. "Nice! I'll try not to ramble too much so we can get to the good stuff." The crowd chuckled slightly as he gave some introductory speech James tuned out. He looked around and examined the competition slightly. there wasn't anything too impressive, and he knew straight away their only competition was Hamilton and Friends™. Speaking of—

"I swear to god I'm gonna shove this guitar up your ass!"

_Ah, there they were._

Madison took a quick glance at them, mostly noting Burr furiously reading over music sheets, Laurens protectively standing next to Hamilton, an angry Lafayette holding his guitar menacingly in Hamilton's direction, and Mulligan calmly watching the events unfold as he ate a granola bar.

He tuned out the rest of their conversation as well. James had a feeling that whatever type of context that particular line had was not one he'd be interested in.

"...ingdom United, with their original 'You'll be back'!" Just as he snapped back into focus, Bellamy had introduced the first band.

_Let's see what this contest has in store._

* * *

 

George watched with intrigue at the scene before him. If he was being quite honest, he didn't really know what was happening. All he knew is that the song they were performing was not the song they had given him.

He sighed in annoyance. There was no doubt Hamilton was behind this.

Not much that could be done now. They had already started playing, so all he could do was hope for the best. At least the first to come up, Kingdom United, wasn't too outstanding. They had a song with lyrics that sounded concerningly clingy and quite disturbing. He had to admit it was catchy, though.

Demo-Reps went on afterwards, and they played well, though Washington noticed there was room for improvement. Jefferson seemed oddly passive-aggressive despite the song being a fun, jazzy tune, but hopefully his strange behavior wasn't too noticeable.

_His behavior is always strange, sir. No one should be that obsessed with pasta and processed cheese._

He sighed in mild frustration. Now Hamilton's sarcastic comments were hardwired into his brain. This had to be hell.

Washington took it upon himself to be strict and not let up once he got to talk to them. They couldn't just do whatever they wanted last minute. There would be consequences for this. Just as he thought this, Alexander spoke over the beginning instrumental of the song, wringing his hands nervously. George frowned. Why was he nervous? Sure, they were playing a different song last minute, but Hamilton had clearly made that (rash, idiotic, careless) choice. He was never nervous.

"Um, this song is a... recent development. It's dedicated to a person I'll never deserve, but who will hopefully let me stand by her side." Hamilton nodded, seemingly to himself, and took a deep breath before singing.

Ah, a love song. Of course. That explains the last-minute switch.

Now, as a band manager, George knew how to pick apart whatever and whoever was performing in front of him. Laurens missed about 5 notes, Lafayette fell behind in certain fragments of the song, making it sound distorted. Mulligan would speed up and slow down at random, not really remembering what the beat was, Burr was coasting along but clutched his bass so tightly that a string actually popped mid-performance. And while he didn't flub a single line (that George could tell at least), Hamilton looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, his eyes wide and frantic as he scanned the crowd. From the looks of how the performance was going, Hamilton might've as well written the song last night.

But as a man that knows how late they all stay up, composing and playing like there's nothing they'd rather do in the world, he could only see how dignified they looked considering all of their current setbacks. John played every note he didn't miss with incredible fervor, Gilbert was actually trying to interact with the audience, Hercules looked like he was having the time of his life and Aaron, somehow, was still composed. As for Alexander, his eyes stopped moving after the second chorus and he grinned so widely George was afraid his face would split in two. He followed Alexander's line of sight to the... restroom? He was confused until his eyes fell on none other that Eliza Schuyler.

Love song. Of course.

Before he knew it, the song was over and people were politely clapping. The boys wandered off the stage into the sectioned off area that was serving as a makeshift backstage. The announcer sauntered onto the stage. "Great song guys! I was tearing up a little near the end. Well done! Now, next up was Administration! but it seems that the band failed to show. A bummer, cause it means that we'll be onto the last band of the day." A few mandatory "aw's" and "nooo's" from the audience later, Bellamy spoke up again. "I know, I know but don't worry, remember you guys can all go to these talented people's pages and social media-things! All that info is on the poster next to the dessert stand. Now, last but not least, gimme a round of applause for: The Schuyler Sisters!"

* * *

 

One of the things Peggy loved about the violin was how expressive it was. A few select notes could tell so many stories, a light flick of her wrist would convey a completely different feeling. Violins dealt with feelings much better than her. However, she wasn't sure what melody she's have to play to demonstrate what she was thinking right now. Which was something like "I wonder why the fuck I agreed to this because there are so many people and I know I'm bad at dealing with lots of people and crowds and this is just to prove a stupid point to Alex. Fuck this." 

Probably something with a G minor.

She looked around nervously as they set up on the small stage, clenching and unclenching her fists as she itched to move more. Don't do it don't do it it's gonna look weird. It was like she couldn't escape the buzz that was building up on her skin. And not the good kind of buzz either. As cool as she felt after going off on Jefferson, it was also draining, which set her senses on overdrive.

Lizzie "psst'd" at her, giving Peggy a concerned look. Pegs just nodded, despite the skin-buzz and the people talking too loud and the lights shining from an uncomfortable angle way too brightly and with shitty colors. Who that fuck was taking care of these lights?

Taking a deep breath, she unpacked her violin quickly and stood in position, taking refuge in the familiar wood and the smooth texture. She prayed that was enough to get her through this shit. It had to be good enough.

Eliza played the first note and set the tempo, continuing melodiously as Angelica joined in. 

Deep breath. You're fine. Kind of. Fuck.

Peggy played her first note, sighing in relief as it rang out smoothly. She focused on the sound of the violin to dispel everything else, closing her eyes.

She wished she could stop and listen to how Lizzie and Angie were playing, but she knew that if she did that then it would start to sound too loud and then she's hear everyone talking and eating too loudly in the crowd and then she'd look at the lights that are shining all wrong and are way too bright for this. So Peggy just listened to herself play, letting the smooth melodic tune calm her.

As the three of them played the final note, Peggy wanted to sigh in relief, but her hands were still buzzing from the sounds and the lights like seriously who decided those were a good idea cause they're a fucking idiot.

So, despite her greatest efforts, as people clapped for them Peggy put down her violin like it was on fire and franctically flapped her hands.

Slowly but surely, it was like the buzz left her skin, and she managed to smile at the crowd, though it might've looked more like a grimace. Hopefully they thought she was just waving.

As they stepped off the stage, Pegs scanned the crowd as quickly as she could manage. When she saw Xander standing next to the dessert stand and giving her a thumbs up, beaming, she flapped her hands again. This time it was a good buzz.

* * *

 

Alexander gulped. He saw how Washington stood menacingly with his arms behind him as the guys approached the table. Everyone took their seat but Washington cut off Alex. "Hamilton?"

"... Sir?"

" _A word._ "

Alexander huffed, squaring his shoulders and following the taller man. Once they were in a less crowded area of the café, Washington began to stare him down. Alex gulped.

"Heeey coach! How's it... hanging...?" he tried to diffuse the situation, laughing awkwardly. Washington just stared at him.

In the beat of silence that followed, Alexander raised his hand meekly to point at the table and said, "It was their idea, sir."

Washington continued staring.

Sighing in fristration, Alex threw his hands to the air. "Fine! I got into a stupid fight with my Betsey because I'm an idiot, so I wrote the song last night to try and make it up to her. And I'm sorry I let you down sir, but I'm not sorry I did what I did."

George knit his eyebrows together, his mouth slightly agape. As he processed that information, Alex noticed Eliza, Angelica and Peggy had finished their song. He smiled brightly at Pegs, who was still on the stage, and gave her two thumbs up. His head snapped back towards Washington when the man spoke up. "You're telling me you wrote an entire song last night and decided to use it in the competition?"

Alex fiddled with his thumbs for a few moments before mumbling. "It's actually a band jam, so." 

The older man sighed and ran a hand through his bare head. "Speaking frankly, it was a mess. And a terribly reckless decision. But..."

"But?" Alexander prodded.

Washington shook his head. "As reckless as your actions were, I can sympathize with the motives of trying to 'make up' with one's significant other through the power of music."

His own eyes widened in surprise. "What, really?"

"Why of course. How do you think I got together with Martha?"

Alexander gaped at him like a fish.

"Wait– sir, you used to play actual music?!"

"Have a nice day, Hamilton. Get a slice of cheesecake, they say it's delicious." George avoided the question, smirking as he walked away. Alexander simply stood there shellshocked until Eliza patted his arm.

"You okay there?"

He quickly shut his mouth and turned to face her, guilt already pooling at the bottom of his stomach. "My dear Betsey, I'm--"

"I forgive you." she smiled sweetly at him and giggled when his jaw dropped once more in shock.

"Wh- so easily? Why?"

Eliza chuckled and took his hand. "Well, for starters, there was a week of silent treatment--"

"Two weeks."

She rolled her eyes and ammended, "Two weeks of silent treatment. I may have overdone it, but Angie's influence is a strong one."

"No arguments there."

"And your words are very swaying. The song was amazing." She smiled at him again and he blushed. Before being able to reply, she added, "Besides, if I'd let you apologize, we'd be standing here for three hours, so I spared myself the time."

Alexander gasped in offense. "I was just going to compliment you by saying that the song was no more amazing than you, but I take it back. You're mean."

"Mhm? What are you gonna do about it?" Eliza teased.

He grinned mischievously. "I'm going to write another song about my heartbreak. I'll call it..." he caught a glimpse of Burr sitting at their table. "Burr...n."

"Oooh, Burn, love it. Sounds angsty."

"So angsty. It would make you cry."

"No doubt." she smirked and pecked him on the lips before slipping away. "Gotta find my sisters, talk to you later?"

He nodded and waved, a blush still tainting his cheeks. "Wait, Elizabeth?"

She turned around, raising an eyebrow.

"You play beautifully. I love you."

She froze for a moment before smiling at him, dimples forming on her cheeks. With one final wave she turned and joined the crowd.

Alexander sat down at their table, fighting a smile as his friends all hooted at him and patted him on the back.

"Damn, Hamilton, you're smooth!" Mulligan teased.

"He's a ladies man!" John piped in before laughing dryly.

Laf fiddled with a napkin he seemed to have refolded several times. "I'm glad you've recovered ton amour, Alexander. I'm surprised she didn't slap you."

"Same" Herc chirped.

"Nah, my Betsey isn't like that. Besides, Peggy and Angelica got it covered, trust me."

Suddenly there was a bit of microphone feedback and everyone turned to look at the stage. "Hey everyone! So we're at the end of the line here and the judges are making their choice. First place winner gets a one-week 30% discount here at Colonies Café!" Announcement Guy paused, seemingly waiting for a few people to cheer, but there was just silence and someone coughing from the audience (fucking Madison). 

Ignoring that crushingly awkward moment, the guy just cleared his throat and continued. "Before we announce the winner, I wanna give a small shoutout to my friend who managed to play through half of his song with a broken bass string– which is really impressive and also incredibly bad luck– everyone give it up for Aaron Burr, from The Revolutionary Set!"

The guy gestured to their table as a few people clapped, thankfully avoiding another uncomfortable silence, as Burr simply smiled like he always did and raised a hand in acknowledgment of the praise.

Burr turned to see everyone at the table staring at him as if he'd grown a second head. "Um?"

"What in the everliving fuck was that?!" Alex yelled-whispered.

"I believe the term is called a 'shoutout'." Burr monotoned.

John put his hands on the table and leaned forward dramatically. "How do you even know him?!"

"Bellamy? He's a friend of mine."

"You have friends?" Hercules asked incredulously at the same time Alexander asked "You're friends with him?!"

Aaron raised an eyebrow. "Why is that so surprising?"

"That you have friends at all? Because you have no beliefs, no personality, no sense of humor, and no jacuzzi." John listed.

"Wait I'm confused, how does the jacuzzi factor into all of this?" Hercules frowned, looking at John quizically.

"If he had a jacuzzi then Bellamy-bro might be taking advantage of his friendship for jacuzzi priviledges."

Lafayette nodded. "He has a point."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "First of all, please stop calling Jonathan 'Bellamy-bro'. Second of all, as for you, Hamilton, why is my friendship with Jonathan in particular so surprising?"

Alexander scoffed. "Have you seen him at all today? He's all whoo-hoos and 'Give it up for insert band name here' with multiple exclamation points. You're nothing alike!"

"You're surprised by someone so different to me being my friend, even though you're also my opposite? You're the most outspoken, stubborn person on the planet-- I'm your equivalent of a human antithesis."

Alexander was riling himself up for a speech to retort and prove him wrong before stopping for a moment and simply going "Huh."

"'Huh'? That's it? Are you actually agreeing with him?!" Lafayette admonished as he held a hand to his chest dramatically.

"You're actually agreeing with me?" Even Aaron couldn't hide his shock.

Alex held up one finger, indicating them to wait. After a moment's pause, he turned to Burr and smugly stated "You just called me your friend."

Burr scoffed. "Hamilton, there's no need for you to place your misguided insistency of 'friendship' upon me like this. You're just stubborn. And I didn't say anything of the like."

Alexander shook his head, a smile slowly creeping up his face. "No no, you don't get out so easily. You compared me to Bellamy– who you admitted was your friend– to me, saying that I'm your opposite likewise to him. Hence, I am your friend, and you have admitted it so."

"Oooh, plot twist." John murmured.

Aaron simply rolled his eyes and gestured toward the stage. "They're announcing the winner."

Alex gasped. "Avoidance! He knows I'm right so he's using an obvious distra--"

Lafayette shushed him. "No, mon ami, they're actually going to announce the winner now."

* * *

 

"The Schuyler Sisters!"

Angelica grinned. She didn't want to sound like a brag, but she had a feeling already.

She went up on the stage followed by a beaming Eliza as Pegs stayed at their table. The announcer handed Angelica a coupon for the café and patted her on the shoulder. "Would you like to say a few words?"

She considered it and nodded, taking the microphone that he handed over to her. "We all want to thank you for being a wonderful audience! And also the other bands, for coming here and making this a great event." She saw the sour face of Jefferson in the audience, making her smirk, before her eyes landed on Alex, beaming at Angelica from his table. He gave her a wink. 

"And also thank you to the men who don't underestimate their significant others due to their ego. You're all doing great."

She handed the microphone back to the slightly confused announcer and walked off the stage with her sister.

"You do know that me and Alexander already made up, right?" Eliza prompted, raising an eyebrow at her.

"He still deserved it." Angelica stated, grinning as she headed back to the table.

Pegs shrugged. "Yeah, she has a point."

Eliza rolled her eyes but didn't argue, simply pulling her into a hug.

**Author's Note:**

> \- if you have any questions about what instruments they each played or their music in general, [this post](https://rainbowblue13.tumblr.com/post/159988016811/marianara-sauce-this-has-probably-been-done) covers most of it, including some very old art  
> \- either way feel free to ask any other questions you may have about this AU!


End file.
